Flash light bottom cap with spare bulb carrier



April 25, 1933. G. H. BARBER 1,905,787

FLASH LIGHT BOTTOM CAP WITH SPARE BULB CARRIER Filed Nov. 16, 1929 GEORGE H BARBER @3313 his awn M043 39 awed/m Patented Apr. 25, 1933 1' seems 1 1. A EE, oE LE W EocHELLEEEw voim, n'ss'ieivon IO-BOND ELECTRIC CORPORATION, 0E JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE En ist: neat totem 0A5? w i'rr i sijiitE infra; 'cAiiiiIEE imitation tiea-itdvinbr 16, 1529. team. 4673590.

This invention relates to flashlights and more particularly to spare bulb carriers or holders of the kind adapted t'o be disposed within the hottoincap of the flashlight.

It has heretofore been proposed to incorporate aho'ld'er for spare bulbs or miniature electric lamps in the bottom cap of a flashlight and to utilize the spare bulb holder as h an abutment o'r contact'element for the end of the battery, I 4

The present invention has forone of its objects the provision ofa sparebulb carrier which may be removab'ly and yieldingly retained within the bottom cap of a flashlight.

l9 Accordingly, the spare bulb receiving eleinent of the holder is carried with substantially resilient means adapted to retain the holder in the bottom cap and the resiliency of said means permits the ready insertion 9 and removal of the holder. 7 I o It is also an object of the invention to utilize'the spare bulb holder as the contact element. or bearingfor theibottoin of a bat:

rer whereby the electrical circuit with the Y 15 negative pole of the battery is completed;

To this end; the carrier is so constructed and arranged as to afford-ample bearing and con tact 'surfacewith the battery and/or the bottom cap. I 0 In one of its aspects the invention seeks, in pm,- to substitute the'spare bulb holder for the resilient. conductingelement usually found in the flashlight bottom cap. Accordingly, the spare bulb receiving element is; carried with resilient arms for yielding retention in the bottom c'ap,"and these resilient arms may be relied upon to yieldingly press the carriers, against the bottom'of the battery.

In another of its aspects it is proposed that the carrier afi'ord additional resilient means for pressing on the bottom of the battery. To this end,-the carrier has a resilient device, such as-a spring, which bears against the bottom of the battery;

The. invention also "seeks to provide a" car rier for s'pare bul'bs which be used with standard flashlight bottom caps and wherein the spare-bu'lbi's normally within themargi- 9 Hal limits of the cap: In One o'f its aspects,

the carrier as a whole must be removed from the bottom cap to permit'ac ce'ss wthe spare bulb, In another of its aspects, the spare bulb receiving element is pivotally carrihd with the mounting therefor so that 'it ma e turned upwardly to carry the spare bulbout of the bottom cap to a conveniently accessible position. w

The invention also seeks a spare bu'lbcai; rier which is practical from the standpejifit of ease and cheapness of manufacture and convenience in assembly and use. Ac'cdid ingly,'arms, whichare preferably resilient;

are adapted-t0 engagethe interior groove at the bottom of the cap and these arms carry a plate, wvhich may be pivoted thereon g if desired, which plate is tormed with ana'per ture to receive a miniature lamp or spare bu1b.

These and other objects of the invention andthe means for their attainment will be more apparent from the following-detailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing illustrating embddi: ments' by which the inventidn may be realized, and in which: a v

Figure 1 is a view showing a fragmentary part ofthe lower end of a flashlight casingwith a bottom cap affixed thereto, the bottom cap being sectioned on a diameter con taining a spare bulb carrier in accordance with onea'spect of the invention. I

Figure 2 is a View inside elevation of a:

spare bulb carrier similar to that shown Figure 1, but showing a modifie'd-mea nstor yi'eldingly niounting the carrier ,in th'e b'ot'- tom cap and also showing additional yield means for engaging the battery; V Figure 3 is a view looking from above in Figure 1 taken on the line of that figure, and showing the flashlight bottom cap with the carrier therein. 7 1 i Figure 4 is a View similart'o Figure 1 but showingra modified form of s are'bulb car} rier in which the-member receiving the sp'aie bulb is pivotally mounted; M V i Y Figure 5 is a view in side elevation taken the plane 5'5' of -Fi gure 4,1521% Being broken 'avvay'in thei iteijest of clearn 's.

. ;Figure 6 is a View looking fronfabove in Figure 5 and showing the spare bulb carrier of that figure.

Figure 7 is a view showing a modification of the structures shown in Figures 1 and 2 in which the miniature lamp is supported by one of a plurality of yielding members engaging the interior of the bottom cap.

Figures 8 and 9 are views in vertical section and front elevation, respectively, showing a modified construction'of pivoted bulb carrier;

Referring generally to the drawing, a flashlight casing 10, which is illustrated as cylindrical in form and of a non-conducting composition, is shown as provided at its lower end with a threaded bottom cap collar 11, suitably secured as by rivets 12 to the flashlight casing. The threaded collar 11 receivesa bottom cap 13 which may be of any convenient or'conventional form and preferably has a bead 14 about its lower end defining a groove 15 on the inside. Obviously, a metallic casing, threaded at its lower-end is equally applicable with the bottom cap shown.

The spare bulb holder is carried with the bottom cap 13. In Figures 1 and 3, particularly, the spare bulb receiving element 17 of the holder is supported by substantially re silient means 21, which releasably engage the interior of the bottom cap 13 and permit the holder to be readily removed and inserted. When disposed within a bottom cap 13in position on the end of a flashlight'casing 10,

g the spare bulb holder is shown in Figures 1 and 3 as extending upwardly into the flashlight casing and engaging the bottom of the dry cell battery 19 therein. Thus the spare bulb holder not only serves as an abutment or support to hold the battery in position,

but, when constructed of an electrical conducting material, may be used to complete the electrical circuit including the lamp, not shown, and battery. i

In the modification, illustrated in Figures 1 and 3, the spare bulb carrier is shown as formed of a strip or ribbon of metal having a flat portion 20 from which downwardly and outwardly extending resilient arms 21 v ,1 extend. The ends 22 of the arms 21 are vbent outwardly and are engaged, if desired, within the interior groove 15 formed by the bead 14 at the bottom of the bottom cap 13. The flat portion 20 may conveniently be substantially parallel to the bottom of the bottom helical thread to receive the threaded end of the miniature electric lamp L or spare bulb. If preferred, the member 17 may be extended downwardly and outwardly as at 18, Figure 2, to form a counterpart of the arms 21 and yieldingly engage the bottom cap, in which event the bulb L may still be disposed within the carrier. In Figure 7 the carrier is shown as formed of sheet metal stamped out in the form of a cross in which not'only the two arms'21 are provided as well as the lamp holding arm 18, but also another resilient arm 16 diametrically opposite the arm 18, all of which have the outwardly bent ends 22 for engagement within the groove 15. The fiat or parallel part 20 of thecarrier 18 engages thebottom of the battery 19 when the cap 13 is screwed onto the end of the flashlight casing 10 and forces the battery upwardly against the contact at the top of the casing in what may be somewhat of a yielding manner due to the inherent resiliency of the arms 21 and/or 18 and 16 when constructed of sufficiently resilient material.

This design is especially adapted for use with flashlights having a spring contact at the top of the casing.- If, however, a solid contact is used at the top, a spring 26 may be added to the carrier as shown in Figures 2 and 7. This spring 26 is shown as a coil spring conveniently secured as by an eyelet 27 to the flat portion 20 and bearing against thebottom of the battery 19 to press it up against the solid contact at the top of the casing. 7

When the miniature lamp, in service, becomes defective and must be replaced, the cap 13 is unscrewed, and the two arms 21, and, if present the arms 16, 18 of the spare bulb carrier, pressed toward one another, say by the thumb and forefinger of one hand, untilthe ends 22 may be easily removed from the groove 15 and the holder withdrawn from the bottom cap, when the spare bulb L may be unscrewed and used. The holder is, of course, replaced in thebottom cap 13 by pressing the arms together until their ends 22 can pass into the cap and the arms are then permitted toexpand when the ends 22 can engage in the interiorgroove '15.

- Referring to Figures 4, 5 and 6, illustrating another modification, the spare bulb receiving element is shown as supported by a wire or rod 30 whereof the central part is formed substantially straight and parallel to the bottomof the cap, as at 31, with intermediate portions 32 which extend downwardly and outwardly and terminate at their ends in arcuate portions 33 adapted to lie in the interior groove 15 of the bottom cap.

Theresiliency of the arms 32 and ends 33 are relied upon to retain the ends in the grooves and thus, retain the holder in the cap. The'socket or receiver 34, forthe spare lamp L, is formed as a single sheet of metal, being bent at its mid portion about the portion 31 of the rod, and the two halves pressed together, as shown in Figure 5. It is, of course. apparent that this socket or receiver 34 instead of being bent at its mid portion can be made of a single thickness of metal as shown in Figures 8 and 9 at 39, with one end portion 40 curled over the straight part 31. The plate 34 or 39 is apertured as at 35 and cut radially as at 36 and the aperture is distorted into a helical thread to form, in effect, a socket to receive the threaded end of the lamp. Normally the plate or socket 34 or 39, hangs downwardly within the bottom cap, so that that portion 37 or 40 of the plate surrounding the rod 31 engages the battery 19 as shown in Figure 4 and positions it as in the previous modification, in a manner to permit of the completion of the electrical connections.

When it is required to use the spare bulb carried in the type of carrier shown in Figures 49, it is only necessary, after removal of the bottom cap, to rotate the plate 34 or 39 upwardly out of the cap about its hinged or pivoted connection with the rod 31 to the position shown in dotted lines in Figure 5 where the bulb may be readily unscrewed, as will be understood.

It will thus be seen that a spare lamp holder has been provided which can be manufactured by simple and easy operations. The holder is resiliently retained within the bottom cap by the outwardly extending arms which serve as a yielding support for the battery and form part of the electrical circuit. The spare lamp, carried in the socket can be disposed between the arms within the bottom cap in a readily accessible position.

Various modifications will occur to those skilled in the art in the configuration and combination of the component elements going to make up the spare bulb holders as a whole and no limitation is intended by the like portion extending from one edge of the strip and bent downwardly at an angle thereto, an intermediate portion of the strip being substantially flat and adapted to form a battery thrust receiving portion, the ends of T the strip being bent from said flat battery thrust receiving portion downwardly to rprovide flexible arms to engage at their ends the bottom cap substantially on a diameter and at the junction of the bottom and wall thereof and said downwardly bent plate-like portion being formed with an aperture to receive the base of a spare lamp.

2. A spare lamp carrier adapted to be inserted in a flashlight bottom cap comprising a single sheet of metal of generally striplike shape formed with an intermediate plate-like portion extending from one edge of the strip and bent downwardly at an angle thereto, an intermediate portion of the strip being substantially flat and adapted to form a battery thrust receiving portion, the

ends of the strip being bent from said flat 

